The Sisters Arts Association’s fifth annual Artist Studio Tour is scheduled for the final weekend in September. This is a self-guided driving tour, featuring 35 artists in 25 studio locations, in and around Sisters. Some artists will be sharing studios to minimize driving times. Tour guides with artist locations, will be available in local galleries, hotels and businesses, the Chamber of Commerce and online at sistersartsassociation.org.
The Studio Tour takes place on Saturday and Sunday, September 25 and 26, between 10am and 4pm Studios will be open to all visitors. Masks are required, and artists may limit the number of indoor visitors at any time. Whatever Oregon State safety recommendations are in effect at the time of the tour will apply. Several artists will be set up for outdoor demonstrations.
Last year’s Studio Tour attracted several thousand individual visits to artists’ studios, and resulted in direct sales of art as well as future commissions.
No pre-registration is necessary to visit the studios, nor is there any admission fee. You may arrange your visit to studios in any order, and spend as little or as much time as you like with each artist. This is an opportunity to meet your favorite artists and to see what they do and how they do it. They will have works in progress, as well as finished pieces that will be for sale.
The tour will include a Quick Draw raffle for two $100 gift certificates, good for purchase from any artist’s studio. As you drop in for a visit, each artist will offer you a chance to sign up, free of charge. You may enter one ticket per artist, and sign up in as many studios as you visit. The drawing will take place at the end of the tour, and winners will be notified by phone and email.
Artists new to the Studio Tour include Bryan Lee Brown (fine art metals jeweler), David Dittman (painter), Laura Fouts (painter), Steve Giardini (landscape photographer), Diane Hallstrom (painter), Lynne Meyers (painter), Dennis McGregor (painter and illustrator), Wendy Birnbaum (photographer), Kimry Jelen (painter), Kelly Rae Roberts (mixed media artist), Loma Smith (photographer), Linda Barker (upcycled clothing designer and jeweler), Lawrence Stoller (crystal and bronze sculptor), Mary Jo Weiss (jeweler) and Jeff Wester and crew at the Ponderosa Forge.
Favorite artists returning to the tour are Annie Dyer (potter), Art Blumenkron (fine wood furniture maker), Clarke Berryman (painter), Danae Bennett Miller (sculptor and printmaker), J. Chester Armstrong (wood sculptor), Jennifer Hartwig (scratchboard artist), Jim Horsley (painter), JoAnn Burgess (pastel artist), Kaia Sieffert (jeweler), Kay Baker (plein air painter), Ken Merrill (potter), Kim Chavez (sculptor), Mary Moore (clay sculptor), Mitch and Michelle Deaderick (potters and clay sculptors), Mike Stasko (fine art pencil artist), Paul Alan Bennett (painter and printmaker), Sandy Dutko (mixed-media painter), Steve Mathews (illustrator on wood), Winnie Givot (pastel painter) and Susie Zeitner (glass artist).
No matter what their media (and there are many here) all of these artists represent some of the best work in art, design, creativity, and fabrication in this area. Most of them rely on sales of art so this event is a win-win; not only do the artists retain 100 percent of the sales of their work, but they may also present special one-time only sales items to the public.
The weekend events will kick off with the Fourth Friday ArtWalk on September 24. This is the standard all-day Artwalk through the galleries of Sisters.
Pick up printed Studio Tour Guides in local galleries and elsewhere, by the first weekend in September. These guides will list and describe each of the artists and their studio location. Roadside signs will be posted on the days of the tour, but visitors are encouraged to use their mapping devices in conjunction with the Studio Tour Guide for directions to each studio. A PDF of the Tour Guide is available at the website sistersartsassociation.org under maps and guides. Further details about the tour and descriptions of the artists are posted on the Sisters Arts Association website.